HORSE CAMPING PART I

 

 

 

 

         HORSE CAMPING

PART I

 

    Mother Nature is called ‘mother’ for a good reason. She nurtures our body with food, water, and air. With her gifts of sun, scenery, and the wonders of life and living, she is the foundation of our spirit and soul. It should not be a surprise that more than sixty percent of horse owners, all disciplines combined, enjoy nature through trail riding. No matter what discipline you intended when you bought your horse, what your financial standing is, or what the economy is doing, trail riding keeps us connected with our horses and with nature.
    Horse camping is simply trailing riding with enough gear to stay overnight. It adds a new dimension to your relationship with horses. Adventure! New country, scenery, trails, and learning more about yourself and your horses. Whether you love camping or would rather stick a needle in your eye, trail riding with pack horses can be a rewarding experience. It is difficult to predict how you and horse camping will get along until you try it. Through the years of helping literally hundreds of riders take horse camping trips it still comes as a surprise who thrives with the experience and who does not, but even the few who give it up are usually glad of the experience.
    There are many unknowns on camping trips. That is why it is called adventure. Some would have you believe that a new horror lies around every tree, be it bugs, bears, crossing water or getting lost. Nonsense! Pack trips are much safer than the drive getting there, or riding along your road at home. Horse camping is all about freedom. When we pack that last horse and say ‘giddy-up!’ it is like a big weight lifted off our shoulders, the chains of civilized stress melts away with the first few steps. Let’s go horse camping!
    You need to prepare yourself, your horse, gear, transportation, and make choices about where to go. Be practical about where you are going and how you are going to get there. First time horse packers should try to make a trip an enjoyable experience rather than a huge adventure. Pick trails that are traveled and easier to follow. Avoid deep or dangerous water crossings or terrain that is too steep or too rugged. Get input from riders who have taken the trip before and from the riders in your group.
Horse trailers spend the off season thinking of ways to sabotage your next trip. They are famous for failing lights, electric brakes, and wheel bearings. Check the trailer floor for rotten planks.
   Check over saddles and bridles for loose screws, worn and weathered latigo, billets, stirrups, fenders, etc., that should be repaired or replaced. Check the rigging to see that it is securely attached to the tree. Serious accidents can happen if faulty rigging lets go on the trail.
   Travel light. Lighter loads reduce the likelihood of saddle sores, cinch sores, foot and leg problems, and cumbersome bulk. Overloading the riding saddle is likely the most serious mistake of first time over-night campers. Do not waste time and effort packing unnecessary items. If you have a 900-to-1200-pound packhorse, aim for a maximum of a 140-pound load per horse or less. Dead weight is harder on a horse than live weight.  Reduced weight is less likely to sore a horse during use on long days and rough trails or if a load slips. With backpacking type gear, one pack horse is minimum for two people on a one week camping trip, but two pack horses necessary with standard camping gear and food. Two horses will allow for less weight per horse and more gear and food to enjoy.
    Examine your personal gear with an eye toward warmth and comfort. Is your sleeping bag warm and comfortable? You do not need a large arctic type bag but it should be rated for colder weather than you expect. Is your footwear well-fitting and warm and will it keep your feet dry and protected? Cowboy and riding type boots are adequate for day rides but a light hiking boot that fits easily in a large stirrup is more practical for trail conditions and poor weather. You will do much more walking during a horse camping trip than a day ride. Take plenty of extra socks. A light vest that covers low on your backside is nice. A treated, quality cowboy hat is practical as it keeps off the rain, regulates body temperature in fluctuating weather, and protects your head and eyes when riding through brush. A tie string to keep it on your head is a good idea. A riding helmet is safer but it should be weatherproof.
    Weatherproof yourself. Good rain gear, warm gloves and a toque are a must on most camping trips. You can wear a toque for sleeping during cold nights. A couple pairs of cheap Thinsulate lined ski gloves make excellent camping and riding gloves, better than lined leather gloves, as they are warm, dry in wet weather, and dry out getting hard or shrinking.
    You do not need doubles on knives, cameras, pots, pans, cutlery, lantern, stove, etc. Simplify your pack system. Your bedroll, a gear bag for clothes (better yet, share one gear bag), a set of pack boxes, a small day pack that hangs from the off side of the saddle horn, and your off! Plan your food to the meal and do not take large sizes of ketchup, mayo, mustard, etc. Using freeze dried back packers’ food is great but not necessary as there are many light meal ideas at your supermarket. Using horses does mean you can spoil yourself somewhat and take a steak, fresh fruit, peanut butter and jam, but weight adds up quick so be careful. Tape a waterproof list of what is in each box on the lid. Number your boxes and you can direct yourself and others to the right boxes for the right items. – 1,2,3,4, etc. or 1a, 1b, 2a, 2b etc.
    Have your personal gear bag, bedroll, and pack boxes packed and ready to go before leaving home. Be sure that opposing boxes, bed rolls and gear bags are weighed to be the same weight. Within one pound is ok but more than one pound difference is not ok. Keep your boxes at less than fifty pounds each, and your top pack of gear bags/bed rolls at less than twenty pounds. Aim for 40% of the weight on each side and 20% on top as more on the top will create more rocking and sway of the load and increase the possibility of saddle and cinch sores.
    The best way to ensure that you are going to have an enjoyable horse camping experience is to use a friendly, sturdy, forgiving, easy to catch horses. I do not have the space to relate the countless stories about people and horses hurt, horses lost, and great hardship because the wrong horses were taken on trail rides and camping trips. How do you know your horse is the right horse? Go back to basics. Foundation training is everything in a trail or pack horse. It needs to be soft, easy to control, respectful of your commands, and easy to catch. It must not spook at noisy objects, items hung from the saddle, or trail surprises. I will take a good, calm, friendly, green horse every time over a nervous, spooky, contrary horse even if it does have lots of training and use. Calm horses will get you though a tight spot rather than overreact.
    If you are not sure about your horse then put in lots of riding hours close to home, until you have a sense of whether you feel good about your horse or not. Trail riding demands a pro-active, hands-on attitude, and, at times, appropriate discipline. Truthfully, some riders who may do well in short, planned, day rides may have too gentle a spirit to handle horses under horse camping conditions. Camping trips require horses standing tied for hours at a time while packing and saddling, hobbles for unfenced grazing, and possibly struggling through tangled forest, mud holes, and bog.

    Do not jump into a remote camping adventure before testing the water. There are good books and videos, and clinics that go a long ways in providing information on safety, trail tips, knots and hitches, packing up, wrangling, and horse care, for camping trips. Practicing technique at home will go a long way toward smoother trail rides. This might sound like a promo plug, but it is what it is - our Blue Creek Trail/Packing book and DVD are the two most complete on the market. They contain more information and photos than any other trail/packing book, guaranteed. And its easy to follow. If you are a trail rider, you really need to see the award-winning Cordillera! Expedition Documentary. It is unquestionably the longest, most rugged wilderness horse journey in recent times, possibly ever. It will stay with you for a long time. If you know someone who has seen it, ask them about it!
Happy Trails!

Getting ready for a backcountry trip with horses requires proper preparation if things are to go relatively smoothly. Its an adventure, so things happen, but put the odds in your favor. Make sure your saddle and tack is in good order; check leather for wear, screws and nails that attach rigging, tears in saddle bags, and broken saddle lacings.

Have a mind that looks for clothing and gear that is light, warm, weatherproof, and functional. Your trip will go much smoother if you keep total packhorse load weights below 140 pounds – fewer rubs and sores and less worry about slipped loads. Take only what you need – packing extra items you do not need wastes time and adds fuss and bother you don’t need to deal with, as well as unnecessary weight.
    Until you are an experienced packer, avoid trips into country where you cross large streams and deep water. More so if you expect rain.